Take a boat down the Yuanling River
A fantastic trip into places in Hunan that rarely see foreigners, and so this is one for the more experienced traveller, perhaps with a basic knowledge of Chinese. Starting at Changde (north of Changsha), you can travel down the Yuanling river on local goods boats to the famous town of Fenghuang, made famous by the Chinese writer Shen Cong Wen. In fact, this trip was the subject of one of his most famous books, read by many Chinese people. You will need to get a bus to Taoyuan, and take another to Xinglongjie. From here you can take a boat along the river, stopping at Mayang, Yuanling, Loxi and Chenxi on the way to Fenghuang. This trip will take you to areas of China that have not yet seen much in the way of development, and is almost like stepping back in time!
